HOPE WEEK HELPS SPREAD POSITIVITY IN MISD SCHOOLS
It costs nothing to be kind . That ’ s the message middle school students all across Mansfield ISD are wanting everyone at their campus to be aware of .
Hope Week took place March 28 through April 1 . MISD middle schools celebrated the week with a variety of activities that promoted hope , spread kindness and educated students and the community regarding suicide prevention and awareness .
“ This is just a week full of kindness activities just to make sure that we grab as many kids as we can to make them feel appreciated , loved , wanted and noticed here ,” said Tonya Willis , counselor at Danny Jones Middle School .
Some of the themed activities at Jones Middle School included “ lassoed in kindness ,” in which staff and students dressed up in country wear and wore positive message temporary tattoos . For “ peace , love and kindness ” day , participants dressed up in their ‘ 70s clothing , wrote down what ’ s been bothering them and shred it in a shredder . “ Kindness rocks ” was also a well-participated event to dress up like a rock star and paint a sweet message or icon on a rock .
“ We ’ re putting positive messages on the rocks to give out to people after they paint it so then they have a reminder about what it is ,” said Ian Glendenning , an eighth grader at the school .
Glendenning is a member of the school ’ s Hope Squad , a support program to help kids who may be struggling or at risk of harming themselves . The Hope Squad is the campus organization hosting Hope Week , and the week helps shine a light on the peer support group as well .
“ We intend to give them a hope hotline ,” said the 14-year-old . “ If they ’ re feeling stressed or have anxiety ,
Students at Charlene McKinzey Middle School wore yellow for suicide prevention awareness .
they can come talk to one of us so we can help them . I feel like we make a positive impact on the campus .”
Willis said the Hope Squad and activities are especially needed for the kids now . She said some kids are still adjusting to being back in person for school , rather than the virtual schooling that was available in the peak of the coronavirus ( COVID-19 ) pandemic .
“ Kids have come back with a lot of things that internally they ’ ve kept in ,” she explained . “ I think having Hope Squad and having this Hope Week as a push to remind kids that you ’ re not alone and we ’ re here is so important .”
Members of the Hope Squad learn how to recognize when a kid is sad and the adult to alert . By doing that , the group is able to catch kids that may go unnoticed .
During lunch time at Danny Jones Middle School , students were able to paint rocks with positive words or symbols on them .
Hope Squad is available at all MISD middle schools . The MISD Guidance and Counseling Department received a grant from the MISD Education Foundation to expand the squads to all high schools as well . The high school squads will be available for the 2022-23 school year .
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